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5 Tips to help you keep alcohol free this January

Thursday, December 27th, 2018 | Blog

Each January, numerous individuals across the United Kingdom try to stop their consumption of alcohol for an entire month. Known as Dry January, the campaign was originally launched in 2012 by the charity Alcohol Concern and since then over five million people have signed up for the scheme.

In the UK between 2016 and 2017, there were 337,000 hospital admissions related to alcohol and 58% of adults admitted to having had a drink in the previous week. While there are potentially some health benefits linked to drinking moderate amounts of specific alcohols, for the most part, alcohol can have a long-term negative effect on the health of individuals.

In an effort to help those taking part in Dry January, we have listed a few ways to make the month a little easier.

1.Publicise your Dry January Journey

One of the best methods of sticking to a new habit is to publicise it to those around you. Commonly referred to as the Hawthorne effect, it is theorised that most individuals will alter their behaviour if they feel they are being watched. The easiest way to achieve this will be to post your journey through Dry January on social media, so your friends and family are fully aware of your decision to stop drinking and will be able to support you should you need it.

There is also a Dry January app designed to support those who have taken up the challenge. You can download the app using the links below.

2. Choose Alternatives

Most bars and restaurants offer alcohol-free alternatives for those that wish to socialise with friends while remaining teetotal. There are loads of excellent mocktails available that will reduce the feeling of missing out without any of the negative effects of alcohol. If mocktails aren’t your thing, there are also lots of alcohol-free beers to choose from.

3. Count Money and Calories Saved

The average person in Britain consumes 3.5 million calories during their lifetime and it is estimated that the average person will spend upwards of £50,000 on alcohol in their lifetime - that’s a lot of money, and certainly a lot of calories. Counting the money saved and calories missed by not drinking is a great way of measuring your success so far and can act as an excellent visual reminder of your achievements so far.

4. Find a New Hobby

Why not use your newfound money and time to take up a hobby? Having something new to focus your time and energy on will reduce the urge to drink through boredom. It will also give you something new to enjoy throughout 2019.

5. Set Goals and Reward Yourself

The journey of sobriety is not an easy one for some people, especially those with busy social lives. Setting goals will make the day-to-day of giving up alcohol much easier as it splits it into a number of smaller steps, as opposed to aiming for an unrealistic figure. Incorporating some treats into those smaller steps will keep you motivated, especially as the money saved could go towards a weekend away or some other extravagant treat.

We want to wish the best of luck to all those people attempting Dry January this month. We hope our tips have helped, but if there are any tips you think can help please do share them in the comments below.

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We have over 25 years experience in delivering care and support to individuals in their own homes, and supplying nurses and carers to the private and public sector including the NHS. Our aim is to deliver the highest possible standard of care and first class customer service.